Rhayuela’s Next Gen Takes Over

Prominent Colombian shingle Rhayuela, known for such memorable pics as Cannes 2015 Un Certain Regard title “Alias María,” “El Páramo” and “Rebellion,” is shuffling its leadership although its six original partners remain on board. Among them, Federico Duran has formed his own company, El Sol Ermitaño, but retains a stake in the 30-plus year old company.

Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona, will take over the helm while filmmaker Danniela Castro Valencia takes on the role of content consultant.

This new structure gives the partners greater flexibility to pursue projects with other companies and platforms, rather than working exclusively through Rhayuela.

“More than a change, this new structure represents Rhayuela’s natural evolution. What is changing is not the company’s direction, but who is leading it. We want to continue producing stories with a unique voice—stories that embrace creative risk, engage with the world and find new ways to connect with audiences without losing their commercial appeal,” said Villareal and Tarazona.

Reflecting on the changes, director José Luis Rugeles, one of the founding partners alongside Jader Rangel and Oscar Navarro, said: “I think they’re a natural evolution of Rhayuela. We’re making way for a new generation that is taking on the company’s management and day-to-day operations. Of course, we, the partners, will continue to support them, while also opening ourselves up to new opportunities and new challenges.”

Rugeles and Tarazona’s s TV series project “Rookies” (“Oficina de Detectives”) just swept the in-kind awards given out at the Bogota Audiovisual Market, which wrapped July 10.

Rhayuela’s current slate includes some five feature films and three television series in various stages of development, production and distribution. It’s an editorial line that features auteur cinema, documentary, thriller, contemporary drama and comedy.

Among its pics are “The Other Side” (“El otro lado”) ,the fifth feature by Rugeles; “Oblivion” (“El Olvido”), a Latin American Gothic thriller; “Lovers Go Home,” a co-production between Colombia, Canada and France; military action thriller “The Awakening” (“El Despertar”), which premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival and was sold by Latido to multiple territories, and documentary “The Shape of Trees” (“La forma de los arboles”), directed by Castro, with backing from JustFilms at the Ford Foundation.

In television, aside from “Rookies,” the company is developing the series “On Hold,” and “We Promise You Nothing” (“No te prometemos nada”), reflecting Rhayuela’s commitment to exploring a variety of genres and narrative formats.

Rhayuela Films wrapped the shoot of “Lovers Go Home!” in Montreal earlier this year. The multi-country co-production – involving Rhayuela, Duran’s El Sol Ermitaño (Colombia), Dublin Films (France), Potenza Producciones (Spain) and Camera Oscura (Canada) – shot in the Colombian cities of Medellín and Santa Marta in November and December last year.